A number without significance

I wish that it hadn't happened, but the U.S. military's death count has risen to, and surpassed, 1,000. I am not saying that these most recent deaths are not significant, but that the 1,000 dead is just a number over which some people will allow themselves to feel unnecessary distress, like the oil price of $50 a barrel, and the Gregorian calendar year 2000 (well, maybe the year 2000 had significance due to some short-sighted computer programmers and purveyors of pre-printed checks). I have no doubt that people will try to make political gain out of this event. Each death is a tragedy to the family, friends, and loved ones of the soldier killed. The death of the 1,000th soldier is no more or less a tragedy than #1, #42, or #999, and my heart goes out to each of the grieving families. I just hope that, in the end, it is all worth it.